Group tied to charter school backers spent thousands in Va. school board election

“By stacking the board . . . they can get charter schools in,” said Carol Burris, executive director of the Network for Public Education, a nonprofit advocacy group that opposes privately managed schools.

It’s part of a pattern, Burris said, of wealthy donors who support charter schools infusing campaign cash into school board races.

The Network for Public Education examined the phenomenon by zeroing in on nine elections. Its findings were detailed in a report titled “Hijacked by Billionaires: How the Super Rich Buy Elections to Undermine Public Schools.” It highlighted more than 15 billionaires and their families who contributed to at least three races or donated more than $1 million.